


Fist Bump 101

by parttimehuman



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Crack, Fist bumps, Fluff, High School AU, M/M, Thiam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-23
Updated: 2018-08-23
Packaged: 2019-07-01 14:09:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15775668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/parttimehuman/pseuds/parttimehuman
Summary: Theo learns how to fist bump.





	Fist Bump 101

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ThiamHarpy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThiamHarpy/gifts).



> I'm sorry if this isn't funny at all. 
> 
> We all needed a fist bump and I have now typed 'fist bump' enough times for it to look wrong to me when I do. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Theo looks down from the wide grin on Liam’s face to the fist presented to him, highly unsure what to make of it. He only just arrived, so he’s almost certain that Liam can’t have a reason to punch him already, but somehow the whole pose doesn’t look like Liam’s trying to attack anyway. He’s standing in front of Theo quite casually, one hand in the pocket of his jeans, the other one balled into a fist between them, an expectant look in his face that Theo has absolutely no idea how to interpret. 

 

“Dude, are you okay?” Liam asks when Theo takes too long to react, his brain deep in thought about whether he’s supposed to know what to do in this situation. Sometimes pretending to be a normal teenager drains all of the energy out of him. 

 

“What? Yeah. Yeah, sure, I’m fine,” Theo shrugs, looking over Liam’s shoulder, avoiding his eyes, trying to pretend like the entire last minute didn’t happen. 

 

“Good,” Liam replies with an irritated expression. “Thought you were having a stroke or something.” 

 

“No,” Theo shakes his head, “all good. I’m fine.” 

 

“Well, in that case you’re just rude,” Liam says, turning away from him. 

 

“What?” Theo asks. He doesn’t know better. He just doesn’t know. He’s not like Liam. He’s not the captain of the lacrosse team everybody wants or wants to be like, he’s not one of the cool kids. He’s just Theo, just a weirdo, the awkward nerd who still hasn’t understood why everybody’s biggest crush Liam Dunbar even befriended him. He hasn’t exactly had a normal childhood, and everybody knows he doesn’t speak the language of high school culture. It’s why everybody else stays away from him. And he’s fine with that, really, but not when it comes to Liam, the one and only person he’s ever wanted to actually impress. 

 

“Hey!” he shouts after the other boy. “Liam! Wait!” he follows him and makes him stop and turn around with a hand on his arm that he takes away immediately when he has Liam’s attention, not daring to overstep any boundaries. “I’m sorry. What did I do wrong?” 

 

Liam sighs. “You don’t just leave someone hanging when they offer you a fist bump.” 

 

Theo doesn’t know what to answer. He wants to kick himself in the ass though as he’s watching Liam walk away from him. This time, he doesn’t follow. 

 

Look, Theo is really embarrassed to admit this, but it’s the whole reason for his dilemma, so it needs to be said. He has no idea what a fist bump is, and a whole lot of the things he finds when he googles it are deeply traumatizing. Still, whatever Liam wanted from him seems to be important, important enough to search the internet until Theo is approximately eighty percent sure that he has a basic understanding of fist bumps. 

 

_ A fist bump (also known as a bro fist, power five, PIB as in pound it bro, or pibbys) is a  _ _ gesture _ _  similar in meaning to a  _ _ handshake _ _  or  _ _ high five _ _. A fist bump can also be a symbol of giving respect or approval. It can be followed by various other hand and body gestures and may be part of a  _ _ dap greeting _ _. It is commonly used in team sports as a form of celebration with teammates, and with opposition players at the end of a game. Fist bumps are often given as a form of friendly congratulation. _

 

Looking for pictures to the topic isn’t a much better idea as it turns out, but Theo gets it now. It’s like a handshake, just maybe a little more casual, more common among teenagers. It’s just Liam’s way of greeting people. Which Liam did to him and he basically refused to greet him back. Wow. Way to fuck up a friendship that was… well, unexpected to begin with. Can a person be any more idiotic? 

 

Theo hasn’t exactly had it easy before returning to Beacon Hills. A whole lot of shit happened, including the death of his sister and his escape from his parents, being homeless and on the run from the police, going through a bit of a dark phase for a while, Theo’s personal journey to hell and back. One should think Theo is by now prepared for anything, but living teenage life is still a challenge on a whole other level. 

 

You think you’re getting a grip until completely out of the blue, life attacks you with feelings. It can be so gross. Especially when those feelings refuse to go away and leave you in peace, when they start haunting your dreams in the shape of baby blue eyes. He didn’t ask for it. He’d never. And yet here Theo is, giving himself the mother of facepalms as he realizes with a groan just how stupid he is. 

 

***

 

Once Theo is over the shame - and that’s taken him long enough - the whole thing starts making life slightly less boring. Lucky for him, Liam doesn’t seem to be the type to hold onto his grudges too tightly. Although he hasn’t tried to get another fist bump from Theo, he was done with ignoring him quite quickly and went back to sharing his lunch at the cost of Theo listening to his angry rambling about incorrectly perceived historic facts.

 

Theo is happy that their friendship doesn’t seem to be permanently damaged by his idiocy, that’s definitely a win. But it’s not enough for him. Theo wants more. What you need to keep in mind here is that he’s been in love with Liam literally since he first saw him. And Theo is very much the go-big-or-go-home kind of guy, even if it’s usually the going home he settles for. But not this time. Not when it comes to Liam. So Theo sets himself a goal. And he puts all the time and effort into research and self-experimentation that he can spare until the moment will present itself eventually, the perfect moment for him to go get what he wants. And what he wants is that fist bump. 

 

Theo’s masterplan starts with observation. He walks the hallways of Beacon Hills High with sharpened senses and a focused mind, paying special attention to how his fellow students greet each other. One really good thing that comes out of this is the realization that he’s by far not the only one being awkward in that department. The most common options for greetings seem to be the light, acknowledging nod of a head, a handshake or fist bump or a hug. The rules as to which one to use in which situation and with which other person are absolutely beyond Theo, but that appears to be a general difficulty. 

 

As far as Liam’s concerned, Theo doesn’t give it much further thought though, knowing that the fist bump is Liam’s greeting of choice, seeing him doing it with basically all of his friends and fellow teammates.

 

Step two - logically - is to take notes on how exactly it’s done. Theo has witnessed a few horribly failed attempts to fist bump during his first phase of research, and he’s made out three main reasons. First - at least one person goes too softly, resulting in the fists only brushing against each other lightly, causing an objectively hilarious but subjectively probably highly unpleasant look on their faces as they awkwardly turn away. Second - at least one person goes too hard, possibly hurting the other person, or both of them. Definitely not the desired result. Third - bad timing or awful stereoscopic vision leading to the fists missing each other altogether. 

 

Basically, it comes all down to the right amount of pressure and decent accuracy, which isn’t too bad, since Theo knows his motoric skills aren’t the worst in the world. So far, so good, now all it needs is some practice, Theo assumes. 

 

It only takes two or three tries before he feels entirely too stupid to practice fist bumping himself in front of the mirror in the boys’ bathroom at school, connecting his knuckles with the cold hard surface, looking at his own face, wondering if anybody else in Beacon Hills has more ridiculous problems than him. Probably not. At least they all seem to know how to fist bump. 

 

Because it’s no use on his own and it won’t lead to him being ready for the real deal, Theo decides he has to get out of his comfort zone and talk to a few actual living people, if only long enough to justify a greeting. It starts out weird, especially because of the looks he receives when his fist suddenly appears between him and his poor, clueless victim. But Theo adjusts his technique, learning that the reaction is far less fearful when he holds his fist lower in front of his stomach and not up in front of a face. It’s a beginner’s mistake. 

 

Theo learns, moves on and does better the next time, soon getting people to actually bump his fist without letting on that they’re surprised by the gesture. He makes real progress though when he starts getting a hang of the smiling thing, pulling the corners of his mouth up just lightly as he holds out his fist. 

 

If he’s being completely honest, after the first few days the whole things isn’t even about Liam anymore. It’s about Theo. It’s also not about learning a thing he should have learned in kindergarten while he’s finishing high school. Because the whole mission has an unexpected side effect. 

 

Theo Raeken, outsider Theo, weirdo Theo, Theo who nobody has ever seen smiling, that Theo changes. He doesn’t realize it until he’s leaned against his locker one morning, scrolling through his phone, taking a break from his practicing routine as someone walks past him and says “Hi, Theo”, offering a friendly smile when he looks up. It happens more than once from that moment on. People know who Theo is. They know his name and they like to call him that. They look at him while they say it, and it’s not disgust he finds in their faces. 

 

Even more than before, Theo feels stupid now. Because this is how he finally finds out the truth. The truth about why he’s always felt like looking in from the outside when he’s with other students. He’s isolated himself, and it was so easy to get inside when he started greeting people with a friendly face. He feels dumb for that, and also happy. A little proud too, like he just discovered the secret to world peace. 

 

He might have had the wrong intentions, but Theo has changed his own life with just a few bumped fists, and he feels like he’s on top of the world as he sits in the cafeteria with Nolan Holloway at his right and Mason Hewitt at his left, listening to them talking to a bunch of other people, nobody batting a suspicious eye at him. 

 

It’s almost the perfect ending of the story about a life lesson learned, but it can’t be over if Liam’s and Theo’s fists still haven’t touched like they’re meant to. Theo simply refuses to accept it. And so although he feels perfectly comfortable in his place right now, he gets up and walks across the cafeteria where he sees Liam getting in line for his lunch. Go big or go home, right? 

 

“Hey, Liam,” he smiles. It’s a little more than the well measured, intentionally non-creepy smile he’s been practicing, but he can’t help it. It’s Liam, after all. 

 

“Theo,” Liam smiles back. “How’s it going?” 

 

“Great,” Theo answers truthfully, coming to a halt in front of Liam, standing there with his slightly sweaty hand formed into a loose fist. 

 

Liam looks down at it. Then up at Theo’s face. Down again. And then he laughs. “Making amends, huh?” 

 

“What can I say,” Theo replies, “I’ve learned a lot. I’m a changed man, Liam.” 

 

“Oh yeah?” Liam asks, eyebrows raised. “And what’s that supposed to tell me now.” 

 

“I don’t know,” Theo shrugs, “but I hear it’s rude to leave someone hanging who offers you a fist bump.” 

 

Liam smiles and lets out that little nose exhale that implies that he’d be laughing if it wasn’t meant to be just between the two of them. It’s almost sad how brief the contact is as he connects their knuckles with just the right amount of pressure, but Theo won’t complain. He got what he wanted. And in the end, every finish line is the beginning of a new race. 


End file.
